The Ties That Bind Us
by river of the sand
Summary: Because a story is just a jigsaw puzzle and NejiSaku is the final picture. But once Neji started putting the pieces together, Sakura found she couldn't keep her hands to herself. Series of one-shots. Rating may change.
1. Heartbeat

**Author's Notes****: So… I'm sitting here with my hot chocolate, freezing my arse off (well, not literally) and wondering, where the HELL is my NejiSaku inner fan girl? She went on holiday apparently. I hate being ignored. *sighs* And I'm getting frustrated writing SasuSaku. Both are good enough reasons for a change. I'll get back to it, but right now, it's NejiSaku time. ;)  
Anyway, my motivation for this series of one-shots is to form all the light hearted NejiSaku ideas rattling around in my head into something cohesive. These one-shots are romance but the second genre is malleable. I won't be putting angst or tragedy on them though: just remember, it's all in good fun. ;) Every updated "chapter" will have its own title and summary anyway. Heads up. :) Read, love, and review! ^_^**

–**  
Heartbeat**

**Synopsis****:** It was a power she'd never imagined: a skill not to be taken lightly. And when Sakura heard his heartbeat through his shirt, she knew this was an opportunity she couldn't pass up. Neji was more nervous in her presence than he let on, and she fully intended on taking advantage of him… uh, _that_.  
**–**

"That is so _hot_!" Ino Yamanaka squealed loudly. "Do me! Do me!"

There had been a price for everything she loved in her life. She'd endured ridicule to figure out what was the right kind of attention and struggled for years to become the respected Kunoichi she was today. But there was one thing Sakura Haruno had yet to overcome on her chosen path: loud, obnoxious blondes. She rolled her eyes at her best friend and repressed the shudder she always felt coming when Ino got too excited. "Do you have any idea how that sounded, coming out of _your_ mouth?"

They were in a crowded restaurant, enjoying their respective lunch hours, and every ninja and civilian in the area had just stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at them. And with Ino's reputation, Sakura could see their suspicious (and in some cases salivating interest – Genma Shiranui for one) minds musing on the implications of the blonde's words.

"Ino!" She snapped hoarsely, when her friend just ignored the attention she'd brought down on them both. "Keep your voice down."

"Oh, relax forehead." Ino spun around on her chair and addressed the other customers. "I wasn't talking about sex."

'_Why am I not surprised people thought that was what she meant? The girl has no shame.'_

In all the years she'd known Ino, Sakura had never seen her hold back what she was thinking. She heatedly told her friend to kindly shut her mouth, and once they were done with their lunch, the blonde made her promise to show her the new technique she'd learnt after they were both done for the day. She wasn't really asking, as Ino laced her words with a hidden threat to embarrass Sakura in public with a worse spectacle than she'd just endured.

Ino was _very_ interested in what Sakura had picked up.

It was no big deal really, but it opened up a world of possibilities. She'd first felt it happen while sitting next to Naruto. Her fear and confusion was quickly dismissed when she realised he'd been reacting to the approaching figure of Hinata Hyuuga. His heart rate had increased with every step Hinata took toward them and if she hadn't been fixated on the thrumming of his pulse, not to mention its affect on his chakra system, from a purely medical point of view, Sakura might've gone deaf at the sound. She was glad that the idiot had finally noticed Hinata, but it had taken the pinkette hours to get rid of her headache after that.

Lady Tsunade had been quite interested in Sakura's idea of decreasing diagnosis time by learning how to detect a patient's heart rate before all the instruments could be hooked up to them, or her chakra inserted into their system. Sometimes, though not often really, the invading chakra of a medic can hasten some injuries – especially those connect to the cardiovascular and pulmonary organs (heart, veins, and lungs). On top of that, in the heat of battle, she didn't always have the chakra to waste on a diagnosis. A medic's duty was to stay out of the fight and heal as needed, but it didn't always go according to plan.

It turned from a strange little side project to a weekend of educational fun. Sakura had picked it up rather quickly and experimented on her mentor after a few rounds of sake (not to mention Shizune when the brunette woman was talking to or about Genma Shiranui).

Naruto had been her first test outside of controlled conditions.

'_And then I just __had__ to go blab to Ino!'_

Now the girl wanted in and there was no wrangling this mare once she decided to buck. She was especially interested in what had happened shortly after Sakura's run-in with the Naruto/Hinata marching band. Sakura hadn't thought about anyone romantically since Sasuke, but there was a certain brown haired Hyuuga who had noticed _her_ at least.

– **Heartbeat –**

It was an hour after leaving Naruto and Hinata… alone, in the woods (she mentally shivered at that), that Sakura decided to visit the Konoha Library, where at least there would be some peace and quiet. She had thought Neji would be more comfortable in the massive library in the Hyuuga estate, but there he was, standing next to an aisle of medical volumes, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared apathetically at the words on their spines.

Sakura waved as she walked toward him. "Hiya Neji!"

And of course, he offered his usual: a formal greeting complete with the correct suffix and even voice she knew. It pissed her off, but more than anything, she wanted him to loosen up. Sakura had the perfect thing, and winked at him seductively.

"Aaww, Neji-pyon!" she teased, giggling softly. "It's okay to admit you're excited to see me." **[pyon: slang for calling someone their sweetie]**

And then… there it was... she couldn't believe it. The stoic ice cube was normally so calm and collected. But Sakura was counting his heartbeat and was, for the first time since learning this technique, blushing at the revelation it had brought her.

He hadn't moved an inch as she walked toward him. He didn't bat an eyelid as she calmly asked him to move out of the way. He didn't respond other than to shift slightly, indicating there was enough room and he wasn't moving – he _did_ look quite comfortable when stiff as a board. Sakura was just trying to get past him to grab the medical text book behind him on the shelf when she sensed it: his heart started hammering in his chest and it didn't stop until she was out of his personal space. His face and stance showed nothing of his accelerated heart rate however, and a part of her wondered if it had actually happened. His voice as he said his formal goodbyes before he left gave nothing away.

Sakura thought she had been imagining things until it happened again. Later that day, she'd visited the Hyuuga estate to ask Hiashi if she could sneak a peek at some of his medical volumes like he'd promised via Tsunade _four months_ ago. Neji was the only one in Hiashi's office, and calmly told her the old man was off training with Hanabi and didn't want to be disturbed… the slippery _arse_. So Sakura was demanding that Neji talk some sense into his uncle while standing a foot away from him, pointing a finger at his eyes (those… mesmerising… gorgeous… eyes…), when the beating interrupted her tirade.

Neji half frowned at her abrupt halt and his eyes widened slightly at the blush lining her cheeks.

'_Fuck this,'_ she snapped at herself.

Sakura did the only thing she could think of – she pulled him into a tight hug and whispered "god, you're hot" before making a mad dash for freedom.

– **Heartbeat –**

Needless to say, Sakura was _embarrassed_. But it also offered up the perfect opportunity for giving her love life a kick in the arse. Ino was still badgering her about teaching her the technique but Sakura couldn't face her right now. She wanted to see how far she could take this (whatever _this_ was) with Neji… Ino would forgive her if she found out _why_ she was skipping out on her… right? Tsunade was out on one of her binges and Sakura had a messenger "summon" Neji. She felt no qualms about pretending he'd been summoned by the Hokage and then thoroughly seducing him.

The room was empty when Neji knocked, was bade to enter and did as he was told. "Lady Hokage, what–"

"Neji-pyon," Sakura whispered from behind him, closing the door. "You and I have some unfinished business, starting with _this_."

Neji felt his body go still… the knowing look on her face gave her away: she knew how he felt. But how? She was pulling on his shirt – the Hyuuga Kimono he'd adjusted for his missions as a part of Team Guy. He swallowed heavily, realising the only article of clothing Sakura was wearing was a pink satin robe.

"W-where is the Hokage?" He asked, getting a strange feeling about this.

'_Okay,'_ she thought, clenching her fists tightly. _'Let's bite this in the butt, shall we?'_

Sakura ignored his question and pouted. "Wouldn't you rather kiss _me_, Neji-pyon?"

She smirked as he gripped her tighter, taking the bait. She closed her eyes, heat pooling in her stomach as Neji kissed her, pushing her roughly against the wall.

Fifteen minutes later, an angry blonde stormed into the Hokage's office, and Sakura started, terrified of being caught by her shishou. The woman was supposed to be out for the rest of the afternoon! But it wasn't Lady Tsunade who'd almost knocked the door off its hinges.

"FOREHEAD! I HOPE YOU'RE READY TO BE HUNG AND QUARTERED! YOU'RE SO–"

Ino stopped midsentence, taking in the scene before her: Sakura and Neji, flustered, wrapped up in each other's arms, and naked on Tsunade's desk. A quirk of her lips told the pinkette what was coming next…

"YEAH-HEH! SAKURA FINALLY GOT LAID!"

X X X

**A/N: Well, hopefully that was at least lightly funny. I'll let you guys be the judge of that – funny, weird, boring…? Eh. Anyway, originally, these one-shots were going to all be romance/humour, but since I've started my NejiSaku multichapter, **Fallen**, I haven't given them any attention. Also, I had some suggestions for the next chapter, but if you'll hit that 'next' button, you'll see it's no longer the case. This will now be a side project – any time, until I decide to mark this "complete", I will be updating merely as something comes to me. **

**That said, this is about having fun with NejiSaku, so please read and review! n_n **


	2. A Hyuuga's Proposal

**Author's Notes****:  
I have to apologise to everyone who's reviewed so far: this fic is changing. Originally, it was just to pass the time until I started posting **Fallen**, but now that I have actually posted it, this one fell to the wayside. I was either going to ignore it or shake it up – chose the latter. I'll increase the rating if it becomes necessary too. Also, the word count will vary (this one's a bit long). If you haven't re-read the A/N for chapter one, I'll reiterate: the only genre on this now is romance, but it's still going to be light-hearted, with the occasional drama that is life. You be the judge on that. So please keep reading. Lovely. n_n **

–**  
A Hyuuga's Proposal**  
**–  
****Synopsis****:** Everyone wants a piece of Team Kakashi it seems; from Naruto to Sakura, to Sai and even the wayward Sasuke. All of Konoha was talking about the matchmaking going on with the Shinobi clans, but Sakura's future wasn't up for sale... or so she thought. Massacre Universe.  
**–**

What was it with the clan heads lately? They were like horny rabbits, without all the cuddly, fluffiness that would make their pest-like manner easier to overlook. This was the third clan leader to formally petition Sakura Haruno in the last twenty-four hours to marry into their family and the strange stares she was getting every day were increasing in number. She felt uncomfortable with all the gossip, the way Ino had been gazing at her lately, in a daze of jealousy and was even ignoring Naruto's "requests" to come see him.

He was the Hokage, but was still having trouble ordering her to do anything. So until he put the words "I order you to…" into his so called requests, she was going to avoid him as well. Her main priorities right now was her work in the hospital and training; she could organise her own future god damn it! The last thing she needed right now was some overbearing _man_ to tell her how to curtsy, when to eat her dinner or what to say at the breakfast table.

Why couldn't they just leave her the hell alone?

Sitting on the Tatami mat and scrunching the simple but elegant kimono that she had chosen to wear as a guest in the Hyuuga complex, Sakura forced herself not to curse at the man directly in front of her. After all, he wasn't trying to insult her... right? She'd like to believe he wasn't being obnoxious. To Hiashi Hyuuga, his words must have sounded like he was bestowing a great honour. But she could not and _would_ not agree to his request.

"Hiashi-sama," she said finally, the frustration that was coursing through her concealed from her voice through years of having to deal with Lady Tsunade's strange moods. "I am flattered that you would consider me worthy enough to request this however, and I do not intend this as an insult, only a personal preference, I have no intention of marrying into a Shinobi clan."

She wanted a nice way to say 'I will not marry someone of your side branch family only to have my future children branded with a seal so you and the elders can control their every move'. Somehow, she knew that even this tame version of the obscenities flitting around in her head would not go over well with Hiashi. Sakura had been standing right next to Naruto every step of the way as he looked for every loop hole to the Hyuuga tradition of branding three to five year old children born into the side branch of the clan upon the announcement of the _true_ heir. He had promised this to Neji during their Chunin fight years ago, in a roundabout way, and had no intention of backing down from said promise.

So Hiashi requesting this of her, though it _sounded_ sincere, made her suspicious. The shock on his face was only momentary, and he schooled his features. If he was insulted, he didn't show it.

"Then may I inquire," he asked evenly. "If it is your intention to marry Sasuke Uchiha instead? You said you would not marry into a Shinobi clan, but would that extend to your childhood crush if he were to ask you?"

He was getting way too personal but this whole thing was personal after all. Perhaps Hiashi was taking this to heart, like she'd feared. If she'd learnt nothing else about them, she'd still know that Hyuuga men were prideful, often to a fault. For example, he would let a golden opportunity pass through his fingertips just to keep from having to admit he was wrong. Not that she considered herself some "golden prize" or anything.

Sakura shook her head. "Sasuke will not ask me, and I would not want him to. My decision to avoid ninja clans has nothing to do with him."

Hiashi raised an eyebrow at her. "Then what does it have to do with, if I might ask?"

'_Curiosity killed the Hyuuga,'_ Sakura thought viciously.

He wasn't going to let this go, so she relented. "The state of affairs," she said enigmatically and stood slowly. "If that is all, I have paperwork due for the hospital."

Hiashi hesitated, a sliver of confusion gracing his features before he nodded stoically. "For now."

He watched her leave, mulling over her words. She had not mentioned whether or not she was involved with anyone (which would've been a simple and easy way to avoid being targeted for an arranged marriage), just that it was the state of affairs, which was easily interpreted as "politics". Sakura Haruno was well known for her compassion, for her bleeding heart, so of course she'd want to marry someone she at least felt a connection with. But as far as Hiashi could tell, she wasn't dating anyone, let alone showing interest in the opposite sex. So this, to him, left an opening to exploit.

And his nephew was the perfect clan member for what Hiashi was planning. He wanted her in his clan, _needed_ someone of her calibre. With everything that was happening, the laws the elderly council was pressuring Naruto to enforce, the Hyuuga clan was not going to settle for second rate ninja to marry into their clan. He had, in the beginning, considered marrying his daughters and nephew off within the clan, but with the low numbers, he didn't want to turn into the Uchiha clan – they had developed all kinds of maladies from too much inbreeding.

No, he was smarter than them. And he would do this properly. Sakura Haruno would join the Hyuuga. The former apprentice of the now retired fifth Hokage was a gem in the sea of women who were of age, and all he had to do was figure out how to bring her over to his way of thinking.

Hiashi stood and left his office, striding toward the Bunke domiciles – the homes of the side branch. He had noticed the difference in his nephew lately, whenever Sakura came around to visit Hinata, or on the few occasions she'd come to personally see to the health of the clan leader, as Hiashi had requested of her. These were differences only someone with knowledge of Hyuuga nuances would catch onto, or Neji's team mates – they had spent years getting to know him on their missions, so it was no surprise they knew him better than someone like Sakura Haruno. The chance to have someone of the pinkette's skill and power was not something he would just let pass them by. Neji was infatuated by her, but had said and done nothing about it. This wasn't the Hyuuga way – a man was meant to be forward, respectable and open about his intentions with a woman, not hide them away.

It was time his nephew went after what he wanted.

Hiashi found Neji speaking with a branch member outside their home and both men bowed to him respectfully. Ignoring the other man, he directed his commanding voice to Neji.

"Nephew, come with me."

Neji made no indication in compliance other than to follow his uncle as the older man led the way to his office. It was the middle of the day, so he was surprised that his uncle had approached him. When they trained together, they normally started very early and any other business the older man had with him he usually sent a servant to fetch him for in the afternoon. Curiosity piqued, he closed the shoji door behind him as he entered Hiashi's office and sat down in front of his uncle, kneeling on the Tatami mat.

"It's time Neji," Hiashi said. "You are going to do your duty to your clan and marry within the year, and I have the perfect woman for you."

– **A Hyuuga's Proposal –**

"Oh my god you're kidding me!" Ino Yamanaka smacked her own forehead. "You are kidding me, right?"

Sakura just laughed. "No Ino pig, I'm not joking. I can really choose."

They were sitting in the living room of Ino's apartment and discussing the recent turn of events in Konoha. The biggest news of course, was the desperation of the Shinobi clans. They were one by one pressing in on their ninja trained children to marry soon, or at least start looking for a husband/wife. It was archaic, but fortunately not something that was fast becoming a cause for mutiny… yet. Naruto was the sixth Hokage, and the old days of the Hokage stepping aside and letting the clans "run amok" as he called it, were over. He would not force something as important as this. Sakura understood – he was head over heels in love with Hinata, and their wedding was only six months away. Being in love was turning him into a hopeful romantic. He wanted everyone to find someone like he had. It made Sakura jealous more than anything. The guy _she_ liked wasn't so easily ensnared.

Ino's parents had wanted her to marry Shikamaru, but he was dating Temari now, and despite the fact that it gave an opening for further movement for the Nara clan into foreign affairs, Shikaku was disgruntled at his son's choice. Still, Shikamaru had every intention of proposing to the blonde sand Kunoichi eventually – the rest of the Konoha twelve had pestered him until he finally admitted to them.

Ino was torn on this – she had recently started liking Shikamaru (once her crush on Sasuke literally blew up in her face). The Yamanaka and Nara clans joining wasn't a bad idea, and she'd gotten her hopes up, to no avail. Her father was refraining from putting pressure on her at the moment (unlike her mother), mostly due to her outspoken views on the matter. So, she'd sort of been looking into the civilian populous since then, though her father was at least adamant about a ninja. Apparently, no husband of hers was going to be incapable of protecting his little girl. Sakura had laughed so hard when she told her that, and actually fell out of her chair. Ino just gaped at the pinkette.

"Why are you surprised?" Sakura asked. "My family isn't a clan, remember."

"But your parents are retired ninja; how can the Haruno family _not _be aclan? You even have your own symbol."

"It's called a crest, and _every_ family has one of those pig face," she snapped. "It's a historical fact."

"Your mother's strict though. How did you get out of this?"

Sakura grinned. "I told her I was gay."

Ino frowned, obviously trying to figure out whether she was lying or not and then leant toward her. Sakura's eyes widened as a smirk started to play with the corner of her mouth. Ino's face was mere inches from hers. She sat back and laughed.

"You're not gay."

Sakura felt her face warm. "I never said I was, just that I told my mother I was."

'_Actually, like everyone else, she thinks I'm still hung up on Sasuke.'_

The wayward member of Team Seven, who had returned to the village almost a year ago wasn't settling in very well but had surprisingly struck up a decent friendship with Sai. Sakura often found them sparring in the training grounds and was shocked the first day she saw them – Sai insulted Sasuke's manhood but the Uchiha just ignored his jab. He didn't seem to care anymore, about anything, or anyone. While Naruto could still be counted as his best friend, and Sakura had integrated herself as a somewhat reluctant friend who he actually seemed to listen to, Sai had him getting up in the mornings to train when the Uchiha would otherwise spend the early hours brooding or just plain sulking.

But there was one change in Sasuke that Sakura could personally claim was because of her: his intent to fulfil his last goal. She didn't love him anymore than he loved her, so she wasn't going _there_, but she had made a list of both ninja and civilian women who weren't fan girls that she thought he'd look cute walking down the street with. At first, he'd vehemently told her to mind her own business, but the idea had taken a hold of him and he was currently musing on that list, though she'd yet to see him act on it. Still, it wasn't like he was going to have any trouble once he started to take the decision making seriously.

Ino cackled at her friend. "A lie huh? I didn't think you had it in you to fib to the great Mrs Haruno."

"Hardy, har." Sakura pulled a face. "So your parents are taking the choice away from you?"

Ino squirmed. "No, not really. But they are limiting my choices, which I think means they already know now who they want me to marry and are steering me in said ninja's direction."

"Who?"

"I don't know!" She wailed. "I've been trying to get hints out of them, poking and prodding the bloody pair of them! I even followed my mother when some woman I didn't recognise came to the flower shop and they left to go get lunch! I can't figure it out!"

"Who was the woman?"

"Huh?"

"Who was the woman your mother was having lunch with?"

"Oh." Ino rubbed the side of her face gingerly. "It was a friend of a friend of a business acquaintance. They spent the entire lunch talking daffodils and carnations." She sighed. "So forehead, enough about me, who have you got your eye on? You could probably have your pick of the Shinobi hunks out there, huh?"

Sakura felt her face warm. The truth was, there was someone she couldn't get out of her mind, no matter how obnoxious she found him, as well as others… it was embarrassing. However, ever since Hinata had turned Kiba down (unfortunately for him, he'd tried to woo her in a very public spectacle and her attempts to let him down gently had turned disastrous – he should've known she had been waiting for Naruto, the idiot), he'd been coming up to the pinkette a lot. He would compliment her on the slightest thing, like her hair was so cute short, or if she ever got into trouble he'd be able to find her pronto because his favourite scents were vanilla and strawberry… okay, so he was sweet, but she wasn't interested.

It also made her wonder if he knew what he _really_ wanted.

"Has Lee bombarded you yet?" Ino asked, scrutinising her friend's face.

Sakura nodded.

"I hope you let him down easy forehead. He's sweet, but not all there, know what I mean?"

She nodded again, trying to find her voice as she thought about the best way to mention the Hyuuga prodigy to her. Hiashi had seemed confident that she'd say yes, and she was worried he'd seen through her disgust at the way the Hyuuga clan treated the members of their side branch. She'd been daydreaming about Neji for weeks, wondering if he had someone in mind, but never found the courage to ask him. After a mission two months ago, she'd felt like he'd opened up to her, and let down that icy façade when he confessed he held no desire to take Hiashi up on his offer of Hyuuga heir. But the very next day, he'd gone back to the stoic form he was known for. He was like Sasuke, without all the revenge nonsense.

"There _is_ someone!" Ino squealed.

Sakura smiled meekly. But it was nothing she wanted celebrated. No matter how she thought about him, he was a side branch member, and she couldn't stand by and be a part of that kind of subservience. It wasn't in her to be completely obedient to someone because of archaic laws. She bowed to Tsunade, she even gave Naruto a quick bow, (the latter mostly because it still made him uncomfortable to be reminded of how he had the power to order her around), but she had no intention of lowering herself to the level of the Hyuuga clan.

Of course, this decision left her feeling hollow, thinking that if she didn't marry Neji, then some bimbo would take her place and she'd have to live with that for the rest of her life, watching them walk down the streets together, perhaps even delivering their children.

She couldn't make up her mind.

"Okay forehead, dish it out, or I'll rip it out of you."

Sakura rambled a lame excuse and quickly disappeared in a flurry of rose petals. She knew her blonde friend very well, and had no intention of letting her wrangle the identity of her secret crush out of her. But Ino was an incorrigible gossip, and within the next few hours, all of Konoha would know she liked someone.

Sakura had an appointment with Tenten anyway – the weapon's mistress had asked her to meet outside some food stall in the crowded commerce section. It was weird, but she was willing to pay for lunch to have her hear her out. So the pinkette shunshined into the area, found the area and made sure she wasn't late before sensing Tenten's chakra.

The sight that greeted her made her blood run cold.

It was horrifying – Sakura had never felt more terrified in her life. A weight settled in her stomach and she felt like throwing up. Tenten was giggling, holding onto Neji Hyuuga, and he was smiling. He was smiling… while that wasn't out of character, she hadn't seen him do that since Hinata's last birthday party where he'd been pressured to when he greeted her.

She felt the hot tears, unable to stop herself.

'_I'm better than this,'_ she thought, trying to make herself turn around and run in the opposite direction.

Tenten didn't like Neji, did she?

'_God.'_

She couldn't keep standing here, frozen in shock.

Sakura ran from the sight, not caring about how she looked as the tears streamed down her face. Curious looks blurred in her peripherals and somehow, she made her way back to her apartment, stumbled inside, and sprinted the short distance to her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind herself. She threw herself onto her bed and she sobbed into a pillow.

– **A Hyuuga's Proposal –**

The next few days passed in a daze. Sakura went through her shifts at the hospital on autopilot, meeting with Sai for breakfast, Sasuke for lunch, and then staying home alone for dinner. On the fourth day, her Uchiha team mate decided to join her for dinner. His excuse – he was hiding from Naruto. The Hokage and Sakura hadn't been in the same room for weeks, so he figured this would be a good place to avoid the baka.

"What did he do now?" Sakura asked, laying out their food as he settled in front of the kotatsu.

"He's trying to set me up with someone called Aika just because her name means 'love song'."

Sakura chuckled. "That's our Naruto." She picked up her spoon and mumbled, "what about the list I wrote out for you?"

Sasuke just shrugged. "Hn."

"That's not an answer Sasuke," Sakura said, sipping at her miso soup. "Did you find the list helpful or not?"

He nodded silently and she smiled at the slight blush on his features. She didn't push him, but after a few minutes of silence, he deemed her respectable enough to know more.

"There is someone who's genetics are quite impressive."

'_Typical Uchiha,_' Sakura thought, rolling her eyes. "You don't want to see if you could have feelings for her first?"

He shrugged his shoulders, again. "It's not important."

Sakura stared at him and for a moment, he seriously worried she was going to hit him.

She growled. "You are going to marry for _love_, Sasuke-kun, if it's the last thing you do, because I'll _kill_ you if you don't."

If her slightly high pitched voice wasn't enough, Sakura's glistening eyes pushed Sasuke over the edge.

"What the _hell_ is wrong with you lately?" He snarled. "You're like Naruto without ramen."

'_And Sai without anyone to insult,'_ he added thoughtfully.

She sniffed, stirring the remnants of her dinner and wishing the earth would just swallow her whole. "Did Ino tell you‒"

"Ino doesn't tell me anything," he interrupted, his eyes drifting to the apartment door as though debating whether or not to make a break for it.

Not since he humiliated her – when he'd returned to the village, the blonde had been relentless in trying to win his affections. Sakura warned her, but she wouldn't listen. Now the pinkette was a buffer between them and the trash Ino threw his way went mostly ignored by the Uchiha. He'd never acknowledged her existence before, but now he replaced the disgruntled tolerance of her mere presence with an arrogantly silent cheek; he'd perfected a new multitude of smirks just to annoy the blonde.

"She's been telling _everyone_ I have a secret crush."

Sasuke turned his attention back to her. "I'll kill her if you ask me to."

He didn't ask her who she had feelings for, knowing better than to open that can of worms, but Sasuke had a feeling he was about to find out anyway.

Sakura gave a nervous giggle. "No, I think I'd prefer her as she is; close call though." She looked up at him. "It's Neji."

"Hyuuga?"

"Of course Hyuuga – how many Neji's do we know?"

"What's the problem then?"

"He's with Tenten."

Sasuke frowned. "Tenten…" He wasn't so sure about that. "Are you sure?"

"I saw them together four days ago." She was back to picking at her food. "They looked lovey-dovey."

"Lovey-dovey…"

"Stop copying me _Uchiha_."

He snorted softly. "Neji Hyuuga does not do lovey-dovey."

"Apparently he _does_."

"Ask him if they're a couple."

"What? No!"

He almost threatened to go do it himself, but then realised how that sounded. _'I'm spending too much time with Sai.'_

"Hn. Whatever."

He would have Sai do it; the irritating artist was good at prying things out of people.

– **A Hyuuga's Proposal –**

Unfortunately, Sasuke had forgotten the promise that on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Lee would join them for their training. He'd proposed it after overhearing Sai commenting on how uniformed their training regime had become. The idea then was to shake it up, which amounted to Lee interrupting their workout randomly and without his training weights on, to keep them on their toes. Sasuke believed Lee just got a kick out of jumping in between them.

If it wasn't for his vocal "love" for Sakura, Sasuke would think the man was gay.

This meant he couldn't sick Sai on Neji, or even Tenten with Lee hanging around – he was trying to keep his involvement quiet. He considered just waiting until their time was up, but another approach presented itself when Lee decided to do some katas first. Sasuke cocked his head to the side, motioning for Sai to follow him as he put some distance between himself and the crazed, spandex wearing man.

"What is it?" Sai asked. He'd decided to wrap up his wrists when Lee invited himself to their training sessions two weeks ago.

Sasuke wasn't sure how to ask this without sounding like some gossiping girl. "Have you spoken to Sakura lately, about what Ino's been spreading around?"

Sai shook his head, not taking his eyes off his bandages. "Sakura-chan doesn't tell me anything."

Sasuke fingered a kunai, uncomfortable. "She‒"

"Likes Neji-san," Sai interrupted, looking up at him. "It's obvious; whenever he's around she goes quiet and whenever Hinata-san or dickless mention him, she blushes. I read that those are signs of physical attraction."

Sasuke silently berated himself for not noticing. Since his return to the leaf, he'd promised himself he'd pay more attention to what was going on in his former team mate's lives. _Sai_ of all people, seemed to know Sakura more than he did. He shook himself.

"She thinks Neji is dating Tenten."

Sai looked startled. "Really, why?"

"Are you two going to fight or am I just playing with myself?"

Sasuke fought back the urge to scoff at Lee's choice of words and glanced at Sai as the spandex lover walked toward them. Sai stared back at him blankly, but he got the hint. He put on a fake smile and turned on Lee.

"What's up with those idiot team mates of yours?"

"Huh?"

Sai had him talking about it so easily. Apparently, Tenten had had a crush on Neji for years, but the Hyuuga didn't seem to notice – or just said nothing about it. Lee thought it was a waste of youth and had tried to set them up, but Neji was stubborn and kept knocking him out cold every time he tried to interfere.

"He's just in denial," Lee lamented. "One day, he'll realise he and Tenten are meant to be, and Sakura-chan and I will have our double wedd‒"

Sasuke interrupted him, taking a leaf out of Neji's book – hitting him upside the head – but didn't knock him out. "You don't know what you're talking about," he growled.

Lee looked confused for a second, but then his eyes widened in a strange mix of shock and excitement. "So you too have affection for the beautiful blossom. I propose a contest then; whoever wins our sparring match, wins the right to court Sakura Haruno!"

Sai chuckled. "This should be interesting."

– **A Hyuuga's Proposal –**

As the training ground was being trashed, yet again, Hiashi Hyuuga was taking his own advice and speaking with the Hokage about his stubborn former team mate. He'd have thought Sakura would take the idea of marrying Neji seriously, and not just dismiss it out of hand; he wasn't an expert on the medic, but the chance that she might be willing to agree to an engagement was too good a possibility to pass up. He just had to figure out what was holding her back.

It was after a few minutes of verbally poking and prodding Naruto that it suddenly occurred to him what Sakura's problem with him was. Things had changed, and the pinkette was sadly unaware of it.

"Hokage-sama," Hiashi said wearily. "You _did_ tell Miss Haruno about the missive, didn't you?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well the thing is, she hasn't given me the chance."

Hiashi sighed. "You're the _Hokage_, she can't ignore your orders."

"Hmm. Well, I haven't actually _ordered_ her to come see me."

The Hyuuga clan leader resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. His oldest daughter was in love with Naruto, he was the sixth Hokage, he was also the only heir of Minato Namikaze… he reminded himself of a few more good reasons not to slap the blonde upside his head before managing to calm down. One would think, having the Hokage agreeing to marry into the family would be enough for Hiashi, but politics wasn't what motivated him. With Naruto and Sakura both, the incentive was strong, and he was willing to admit to being fascinated by it. But what self-respecting clan head wouldn't want two former students to the legendary Sannin in his clan? Hiashi was more concerned right now, how Naruto's absentmindedness had been affecting his nephew. Neji wasn't saying anything, but the fear was becoming painfully real for him. Hiashi took a deep breath.

"With all due respect," he said evenly. "I'm not sure you fully grasp the seriousness of this situation."

"Huh?" Naruto frowned at him.

"Sakura and Neji are in love with each other."

Naruto's eyes widened. "B-both of them?"

"What, you didn't notice?" Hiashi couldn't stop the sarcasm from filtering into his voice, but luckily, his Hokage hadn't noticed.

"No," Naruto said. "I've been very busy, and like I said, Sakura refuses to talk to me."

"Well she needs to know Hokage-sama. This could affect both of their futures."

Naruto nodded. "Yes, yes. Okay, I'll have an ANBU fetch her as soon as possible. Damn," he scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I'm such an idiot."

Hiashi refrained from verbally agreeing with him and bowed. "Now that that's settled, there's also the business of what you promised me."

Naruto blushed. "Yeah, I remember…" He really didn't want to talk with Hiashi about his sex life with Hinata. "Yeah… let's talk babies."

– **A Hyuuga's Proposal –**

Sasuke left Sai to take care of Lee – the latter was unconscious, slightly singed from a low level Amaterasu and would probably be out cold for the rest of the day. Lee thought that Neji and Tenten would make a good couple, huh? Well then, he had that last jab to the soft tissue on the side of his neck coming – a pressure point he'd learnt about over the years was the coup de grâce in knocking him unconscious.

'_Stupid, spandex wearing, bowl haircut freak.'_

Of course it served him right, and he would never apologise for that jab.

Sasuke did not have that sage thing that Naruto had going for him, so it would take him longer to find someone as elusive as Neji Hyuuga. Activating his Sharingan on the streets of Konoha was still scaring young children and women alike, so he settled for heading to the Hyuuga estate and tracking him from there. The guards said he'd been out all day, having left with one of his team mates; of course, that meant it was Tenten. The idiot could be anywhere.

It was shortly after lunch when Sasuke ran into Hinata; she knew that her cousin would be in the commerce district right now, and the Uchiha quickly shunshined into the crowded area. From his entrance point, he quickly detected Neji's chakra signal (thanks to some of Lee's early attempts to join his training sessions with Sai – and sometimes Sakura – Sasuke had had the opportunity to memorise the Hyuuga's signature). He unsurprisingly hadn't bothered with it years ago, not concerned about something as trivial as Neji Hyuuga.

Sasuke mused on what he was about to do as he pushed through the crowds.

He did _not_ want to talk to Neji about why he shouldn't be spending time with Tenten. He did _not_ want to sit down and have some man to man talk with Neji about how Sakura was completely in love with him. He did _not_ want to burst into a soliloquy on why the Hyuuga had best right this wrong or die horribly – though that last part was tempting, he preferred to give no warning.

What he _wanted_ to do was try out his new jutsu on the so-called prodigy and leave him bleeding out in his favourite training ground.

But he owed Sakura; she was not only helping him with finding the best candidate to rebuild his clan, but she was keeping it between the two of them. _Nobody_ else knew; not Naruto, not Kakashi, and not Sai. _No-one_. The least he could do was have one simple talk with Neji about what the stupid Hyuuga was doing to his pink haired team mate.

He pushed aside every instinct to run or flash-step in the opposite direction the moment he finally spotted Neji, outside a small restaurant with Tenten. A flash of rage for both of the brunettes forced Sasuke to close his eyes and focus on his breathing; it wouldn't do well to cause a scene in public. With his last breath (and it probably would be if he didn't start moving) he would keep this as _quiet_ as possible. Just because he felt he owed Sakura didn't mean he wanted the rest of the village to know what he was about to do.

Neji noticed his arrival, but Tenten was too busy giggling about something to realise another person was suddenly standing on the other side of her crush. Now, Sasuke had nothing against the weapons mistress (other than this debacle with Sakura), but when she gave a rather raucous cackle he let out an involuntary groan. Now both of them were staring at him.

"Yes, Sasuke?" Tenten asked, pulling Neji closer.

He ignored her. "Neji, we need to talk."

"What's this about?" The Hyuuga asked.

"Sakura."

Tenten glared at him and something hit Sasuke – she knew about the pinkette's affections. How? Sai had figured it out because he spent time around Sakura and made a point to scrutinise everyone around him at all times – all a part of his desire to understand every aspect of human interactions.

"Sorry," Tenten said sweetly. "But Neji promised me‒"

"I didn't ask you," Sasuke said evenly, without looking at her.

Neji looked torn between defending his team mate and getting away from her as quickly as possible. Sasuke didn't feel sorry for him, not really, but felt the need to help him out with that last part.

"Neji," Sasuke repeated, ignoring the brunette and the glare on her face as he again interrupted her attempts to drag the object of her affections to Kami knew where. "Can we talk?" He glanced at Tenten as she lost her glare, looking worried. "Alone?"

– **A Hyuuga's Proposal –**

Naruto finally summoned Sakura in the middle of the night, waiting until she'd finished an exhausting eight hour surgery and was too tired to hit him before he told her what he'd been trying to tell her all along. Hiashi Hyuuga had agreed to the amendments that the Hokage had proposed and removing the caged bird seal from the Hyuuga customs had just been the first step.

Sakura listened in rapt silence as Naruto and Hiashi both ran over the changes with her and she fought back the urge to grin like a maniac as the practises she'd most abhorred about Hyuuga politics were listed amongst the changes. Hiashi topped it off with asking her again if she would consider marrying his nephew.

Sakura didn't respond.

She was gone before the last word had left his mouth.

"That went well," Naruto said, nodding his head. "I think that went well." He yawned. "Okay, I'm going back to bed."

He disappeared, and Hiashi was left wondering if insanity was contagious.

Sakura flash-stepped outside, and kept to the rooftops as she made her way to the Hyuuga estate. If she waited until dawn, Tenten would beat her there, and the pinkette was finally realising that the girl had set her up to see her with Neji that day in the market place.

It didn't matter.

The only thing she cared about was finding out if Sasuke had been right all along.

The birds were out, she was happy, though nervous, and once she arrived at the compound, Sakura waited to be let in. Neji was an early riser, and as an orange light peeked over the horizon, she found him meditating in the gardens; next to the koi pond, he looked amazing, wearing only trouser pants. His muscles were lean, toned, and gave her cause to stop in her tracks.

"Sakura-san?"

She flushed as he turned to stare at her and climbed slowly to his feet.

"Are you looking for Hinata?"

"No Neji, I'm not."

He quirked an eyebrow at her casual greeting. "Then who?"

The gods didn't care that she hadn't bothered to ask him if he really was interested in Tenten. A loose rock tripped her as she made to walk toward him and Neji instinctively reached out to catch her.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Are you okay?"

She shook her head. "N-no. I wanted to ask you something Neji, so please be honest with me."

"Of course Sakura-san."

"Just Sakura," she said, and cleared her throat. But the words 'do you like Tenten?' didn't come. Instead, she tumbled out the first thing that came to mind. "Will you marry me?"

– **A Hyuuga's Proposal –**

The months flew by, Sakura almost strangled the entire hospital staff, but finally it was happening. She still couldn't believe she proposed to Neji, and not the other way around. And he wouldn't let her forget it. They said their vows, made the crowd sigh with their lingering kiss, and she made a mental note not to let it get out that she had literally fallen into Neji's arms moments before their first kiss.

Ino caught the bouquet, Naruto and Hinata were the first to congratulate them on their new status, and Sai pushed Sasuke into the middle of the dance floor where the Uchiha was promptly mobbed by girls wanting to dance with him. Yamato stood in the corner, chatting up every woman who came within a metre of him, and Kakashi was already drunk when he disappeared somewhere with Anko – he had even forgotten to leave a gift for the happy couple on his way out.

Neji still lamented that Tenten didn't come to the wedding; Lee and Gai were important to him, but he could only stand them for so long without Tenten to buffer them. He still couldn't believe what had happened.

Sakura slid her arms up and around Neji's neck as they moved onto the dance floor, deepening the smile that had graced her face from the moment he'd accepted her proposal. He could barely breathe, hardly believing that she was holding him so close, swaying her hips to the music as though attempting to seduce her. She would get that opportunity later, and he was looking forward to it.

Neji lowered his head, touching her forehead to his. "I love you."

She inhaled deeply. "I love you more."

Dark eyes followed them as they held onto each other. He'd finally gotten free of that mob Sai had pushed on him and Sasuke wasn't sulking or brooding: for the first time in years, he was… _happy_. He watched his former team mate as she started her new life with the only person in all of Konoha other than himself who people still thought of as an ice cube (Sai surprisingly, wasn't on that list… he couldn't understand _why_).

Maybe Sakura was right: he really should marry for love.

X X X

**A/N:  
No Tenten bashing intended, or anyone else for that matter. This particular one-shot has been in the works for a long time, and I really love it. Still, if you guys want to suggest something, I'll definitely take it into consideration. Love, read and review. n_n **


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